Packing or filling body



Patented July l0, 1928.

Unirse. STATES Partnreasier...)

FMDRICH tires. QF. .Oniiiiwsan PACKING on riLnrNd-BQDY;

Application filed December 18, 1192s, :Seria1,No.v756,646, and in.Germany October 6, 1924.

This invention `relates -.to building bricks or blocks/for use in theconstruction of packing or filling walls or gratings, suoli as fluewalls ,employed in heat exchange appara-tus and v.plan-ts, and in .thefilling of chambers, towers and Vthe like employed for variousmetallurgical, chemical and similar .purposes.; land it is one of theimportant objects of the invention `to provide building bricks or blocksso constructed that a. wall or grat# ing having .a great heating andreactionsurface may be huilt .and .easy access may @be obtained to thepassages and `channels in the wall produced Iby the assembled rows 4of.bricks or blocks.r f'lhe invention is directed in particu-1artebuilding bric-ks ,or blocks for 'flue Walls in which the 'gases orreagents are given a toi'tuous'or .twisted path with a view vofproducing a thorough inlteriningliiig of the gases, yfluids or the likepassingthrongh `the particular space. For .the purpose inen- ,tioned ofproducing .,tortuons passages in blast heatersand .similar heat`exchange ap.- paratus, hollow/bricks orined'lwitfh lspiral blades andflutes have 'been sugge'sted.y With such bricks there is the objection,however, Athat' their manufacture is` very-.diiiicult and consequen-,tly.expensivdfthat they v[are .of delicate structure :and therefore easilybroken, v.and 'that they. present anf.excessive `resistance to thepassage of the fluids', While the channels,` .passagesl or portsproducedby the `assemblage vol? .such .bricks do not .allow access to thesaine'ior cleaning purposes.-

The present invention provides a building brick or block which.overcomes vthese lobjections, and .which is suitable'for the erectionvof Waills .and l'ratings 'in producers and other heat .exchangeapparatus and io'r ,equivalent purposes, and which .comprises .a-substairf tially y,quadri foliateshaped ibody formed on itsouter'surfac'e ywith ribs and -Vflutes .in Isuch manner `'that upon theassemblage ori? la V.plurality of such bodies or bricks spiral-liketortuous passages'are produced. The V:bricks orblocks are so constnuctedthat these tortuous` .passages niaywb'e arranged to wind, spiral-like,in .either a right handlora'left `hand Adiiectioi'i,foiflin .both.directions one and `the sanieival'l'. TheY bricks or blocks, Whilestrong and capable .of being lshipped without .damagefare comparativelylight in weight', allowing .a wall of great strength :to 'be.economically built. The construction lof the blocks is such as toprovide' ribs and Hates, which may be ,of such #form or' shapeasfto'present riaiiles, subjeetingft'he iiuids to'V a 4zigzag 'line voftravel `and 'more e-iiective whirling' and mixing action in theirVcourse of flow. The construction oi the bricks or blocks is Aiurtliersuoli that the channels or of a .wall or grating, made `from blocks of'lthe type shown in Figures i, -2 and 3.

eferring now more particularly to 4the drawings, 'a and a .designatebuilding bricks or `blocks constructed in. yaccordance with myinvention. Each .of these :blocks comprises .abody of .some materialthicknessyand, as

shown, .each block .ci -is formed upon its eX;-

terior` with .annular seri-es of 'alternately arranged .diagonallydisposed and spiral like :ribs .b and spiral like grooves or lflutes cbetween .said ribs, having' four similar ribs 'Z2 :and fou-r.similargrooves or flutes o, oit

.such shape as .to .make lit of quadrifoliate form Lin horizontaltransverse section, but

the numberjof ribs and grooves may .be varied with a correspondingvvariation oit passages formed thereby may the readily ilf .thecross-sectional shape. .lfwlocksuY di-lfer from blocks ain tliateachblock a has two grooves or flutes c2 Ilike the grooves or flutes o andtwo groovesfor flutes of -adifferent form from .the tintes e, 021 Eachblock a anda also has a pair ofsu-pplemental triangular-shaped .groovesor flutes c4 corninunicating with 4each groove or flute 0,' c2,

said 'grooves or iiutes ci .openinggthrough the opposite ends of theblock andintersecting' thends ofthe groove c or c2 at' opposite-side'sof the latter. 'The grooves or flutes c4, as shown, extend loblique-lyto the groove c orc2 Vwith which ,they communicate, and atV adiagonal Aangle or in a spiral direction.

with respect to' lthe' axis-oi the block, which is the reverse of thatof the `groove cor c?. The grooves c'4 expand each groovec, c2 at itsends and provide i-or ,aj vproper connection between superposedV blocksoi"l thev courses in a wall v.tovv'id'en the liuc or chanlll Vlatei'allyof their general line of flow, in a zig-zag manner, so as to secure abetter mixing action of the gases. The blocks are designed to be laid incourses in the usual manner to form agrating or .wall withthe ribs ofadjacent blocks abutting, so that like flutes of yadjacent blocksregister, the

rflutes c and c2 forming spiral-like passages or channels and the`flutes@3 straightperpendicular passages or channels throughout thewall. These, spiral-like channels may all wind in the lsaine directions,either clockwise or counterclockwise, about the blocksV or they may windalternately in opposite directions, i. e., consist. of. bothfright andleft hand spirals, about the blocks. As shown, the flutes c and 02ofbloelrs a and ai are contracted or narrowed centrally of the block`and thencegflare.:toV a Afunnel-shape formationat their ends `toward thetop and bottom portions of the blocks, and, as 4shown by blocks (L, theflutes c are narrowed .at their ends and lwidened or expanded centrally`of their length.Y When blocks a are alone used in tiers, channels orpassages are formed by all their flutes whichva-realter natelycontracted and expandechthe points of contraction being within theblocks Yand the points of expansion' in line with the joints ,betweensuperposed rows of blocks, vwhile lwhen blocks :ay-f are alone used thepoints ofcontractionand expansion will be inthe flutesV bothv .at thejoints and within the block bodies. By using both kinds of blocks a anda( in the constructionof a wall or grating,variations.V in thearrangement of the points of conti'action andexpans'ionmay be obtained,as willV be readily understood. Gases flowing through the passages willthus be contracted and expanded in.V their flow, preventing their toorapidflow, while at the saine time'preventing undue resistance to theirflow, so that. their flow .velocity may be automatically. controlled 'toany exact .degree desired.V vThe walls of the flutes c and c2, havingthe triangular-shaped supple mentary grooves or flutes c4, provideriffles c at the angle of 4intersection of the grooves, givingL anincreased tortuous flow to .the gases, whereby a more thorough agitationand cominingling ofthe gases is obtained. It will be observed that each'groove c3. is of a form corresponding to the .portions of connectinggrooves c Yof, two superposed blocks across the ointand between thecontracted intermediate portions of the grooves c of the two blocks.-As'thus formed the groove consists Vof two parallel communicatinggrooves c5, 0,6 each shallow `at one end and of gradually increasingdepth toward its opposite end; The shallow end of each groovecommunicates rwith the .deep end of the two.

. suggest.

are set up,.a passage of quadrifoliate form isformed between theadjacent faces of the four blocks andthat each passage is eX- panded atpoints and contracted at points, for the purpose described. The form ofthe grooves e of blocks twill produce spiral-like passages throughawallformed of superposed courses, while the grooves c, c3 of blocks a willrespectivelyform straight and spiral-like passages through the courses.

vThe grooves 0, c2 vand cawill alsoproduce straight passagesperpendicular to the plane of the courses' and `spiral-like vpassagesgrouped `about .thel ystraight or perpendicular passages.. By thismeans'a very effective swirling .motion and intermixture of thetraveling-'fluids is secured. The swirling and Aintermixing effect is.further intensified by the production of the rililes c', o7 formed bysurfaces between adjacent flutes or grooves. It will vbe understood thatlin the case of either block wor a', a reversal of the block, endto end,willrresult in a change in the direction of the spiral-like fiutes. 7Hence by use of the same blocks, all the :passages'or .channels in'awallmay be made of righthand spiral-like formation, or of left-handspiralflike formation, vor a combination of In blast heaters itisdesirable lto'have different sizesandweights of Wall structures andheating areasfat different points. \By

the use of blocks-made' according to this in# vention this yobject may:easily'beaccomplished by employing differentV sizes .of

Yblocksxand by varyingI the depths vof the ribs and flutes' and theconfiguration' thereof; and, it4 thereby. becomes possible to. yprovideychannels or passages; with varying sectional areas and dimensions vorwith alternatingly vdifferent dimensions from-top to bottom of thewalls. 1 f.

It shouldbe pointed outfin this connectiony that the invention is notrestricted rto the particular configuration, arrangement and relativesizes of blocks herein shownfand vdescribed by way of exempliicationonly,f

and that modifications and changes may occur as varyingconditions ofapplicationV may Noris the invention restricted to the applicationy ofsuch blocks in the packing of producers and the like; Vbut it may `beapplied,'wherever the heat value or the` chemical activity of gases,fluids and liquids lith i the claims hereunto appended.

are utilized by the provision of extended Contact surfaces, and Withinthe ineaning of It is, of course, understood that in their preferredform the blocks Willbe made of refractory, fireproof material.

I claim:-

l. A building block comprising a quadrifoliate-shaped body provided uponits exterior at quarter points With alternately arranged andlongitudinally extending ribs and flutes, one or more of' the `fluteshaving expanded portions and Contracted portions.

2. A building block comprising a body provided upon its exterior withlongitudinally extending spirallike ribs and flutes,l

3. A building block comprising a body provided upon its exterior withlongitudieaehflute being contracted at a point in its length andprovided with riles.

4. A building block comprising a substantially quadrifoliate-shaped bodyprovided upon its exterior With alternately arranged and longitudinallyextending spirallike ribs and flutes, each flute having expanded endportions and a contracted central portion.

5. A building block comprising a body provided upon its exterior vvithlongitudinally extending and alternately arranged spiralelike ribs andflutes, each flute having expanded end portions and contracted centralportion, said expanded'end portions being provided With rifles.

20 -nally extending spiral like ribs and flutes,

